Spotlight: Marina Licht from Style & the Bride

Style & the Bride was launched in 2013 by leading bridal journalist Marina Licht. She got her first taste for weddings when she was a junior reporter at OK! Magazine, and was the envy of all of her contemporaries when she covered the wedding of one of the world’s A-list couples, Victoria and David Beckham. After leaving OK! Magazine, Marina worked as a feature writer for Cosmopolitan Bride magazine, and after a rapid rise through the ranks was made the youngest editor at the National Magazine Company at the tender age of 26. She has also worked at Wedding magazine, and written for the likes of Red, Cosmo, and The Sunday Express.

Marina launched Style & the Bride because she believed there was a gap in the market for a wedding blog aimed at stylish, fashionable brides-to-be. Naturally, Marina offers her fair share of advice on the perfect flowers for your wedding, too. We caught up to find out more about the talent behind Style & the Bride.

Marina, we’d love to hear about how you developed your passion for all things bridal. What was it that first inspired you to choose weddings as a career path?

I think it might have had something to do with attending the wedding of a certain Victoria and David Beckham. I was a junior reporter at the time on OK! Magazine and managed to persuade my editor that I needed to attend. A few years later, I started working on a bridal magazine and then became Editor of Cosmopolitan Bride. The rest is history.

After editing and freelancing for national bridal magazines, and now producing Style & the Bride, you must have seen your fair share of weddings! Can you tell us about your personal favourites?

This is so difficult for me. It is like asking a mother who her favourite children are! I like different weddings for different reasons, so I feel that they are all my favourites.

White lace dress by Alan Hannah, photo by Diana Patient.

On your blog, you offer advice on everything from fashion and beauty, flowers, venues, honeymoon destinations and more. Do you have any top tips for brides-to-be who are wondering where to begin?

The first thing I would say for them is not to panic. When you start planning a wedding, it can be overwhelming, so it is important to stay calm. When you go wedding dress shopping for the first time, only take your mother and perhaps one other close girlfriend. It is important to choose people whose opinions you trust. This is you and your partner’s big day, and not anybody else’s.

Dress by Emma Victoria Payne, photo by Jake Rowden.

We know that you like to keep ahead of the game… Do you have any tips on up and coming designers, photographers, wedding planners or otherwise that we should be keeping an eye on?

I am a huge fan of French wedding dress designers such as Rime Arodaky and Victoire Vermulen. Rime is perfect for fashion forward bride and Victoire’s gowns have a timeless quality to them. I also think Andrea Hawkes is excellent at creating contemporary gowns for modern brides.

Dress by Jesus Peiro, photo by Diana Patient.

What’s your relationship with flowers, can you tell us about your favourites and why?

Well, I absolutely love flowers. My personal favourites are pink peonies though I know they are only available for a short period of time. If I had my way, every room in my house would be filled with them. The reason I love them is simple. They are exquisitely beautiful and utterly feminine. What more could you want from flowers?